Non-ordinary States of Consciousness
What is Consciousness?
While there is no universally agreed upon definition, the term consciousness is typically referring to our sense of self, our awareness of thoughts, emotions, and experiences as they arise, and our memories of those experiences as time passes. It is our “inner experience” or “awareness” of the world and ourselves. We are typically so used to our own way of perceiving the world and ourselves, that we can go throughout life without thinking about consciousness at all.
What are Non-ordinary States of Consciousness
Some people seek out and explore non-ordinary states of consciousness. This may be for healing purposes, to achieve personal change and growth, out of curiosity, or simply for pleasure. Achieving non-ordinary states can happen in many different ways. Sometimes it’s achieved by working with psychedelic medicine, but it also can be reached with other activities like meditation, breathwork, prayer, or finding a flow state through movement, music, and dance. No matter how people get there, once in the altered state, they begin to perceive the world and themselves in a new way.
Non-ordinary states are unique to each individual, although there are common themes that emerge. Some of the common themes are:
ego dissolution (the “I” or person you see yourself as dissolves)
flexibility of the mind
increased openness to new ideas, more curious
enhanced creative problem solving
mystical experiences
While the above examples are typically viewed as positive, sometimes it can be overwhelming or frightening to people. These types of challenging experiences are more likely to occur when someone is not prepared for the experience, is in a place where they do not feel comfortable as it occurs, or they lack proper support. People who have more challenging experiences can still often find meaning from them, but not always.
The potential that lies in non-ordinary states lies in their ability to shift perspective and create new connections within. Psychedelics are unique in their ability to reliably and powerfully induce non-ordinary states of consciousness. It is because of this that they are being researched so heavily for treating many forms of mental illness and substance use disorders.
